Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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124. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which third level education requires ongoing assessment and updating in line with best practice internationally to ensure the ability of graduates to compete internationally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32008/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Higher Education Institutions, which have primary responsibility for the quality of their course provision, have quality assurance procedures in place, having had regard to Guidelines from Quality and Qualifications Ireland. In addition to encompassing regular periodic reviews of study programmes, institutions are also encouraged to undertake quality reviews of academic, administrative and service departments and, depending on structure, unit-based reviews of schools, faculties and colleges.  Institutions may also undertake thematic reviews of institution-wide issues.

The Annual Institutional Quality Assurance Report provides QQI inter alia with a listing an institutions cycle of internal reviews along with links to published review reports. QQI has also established a Policy for the Cyclical Review of Higher Education Institutions, which take place on a periodic scheduled basis.

The support for teaching and learning is a central pillar of the National Strategy for Higher Education 2030 and the promotion of ‘excellence in teaching and learning to underpin a high-quality student experience’ is one of the 7 ‘key system objectives’ in the Higher Education System Performance Framework.

The establishment in 2012 of the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning at third level provided a key, system-level infrastructure for the support of the implementation of the National Strategy in respect of the teaching mission of higher education.

The National Forum aims to ensure that opportunities for better practice are identified, mainstreamed and shared under the guidance of the Higher Education Authority and sectoral representative bodies. The National Forum’s Roadmap for Enhancement in a Digital World 2015–2017 and the Professional Development Framework are just two national initiatives developed for the sector. Its partnerships with students through for example, the Teaching Heroes Awards scheme, has significantly advanced the objective of enhancing student-engagement in higher education. The National Forum therefore supports at national level the ongoing updating of teaching and learning in third level institutions in line with best practice internationally.